Homemade Glazed Doughnuts

My love for homemade doughnuts is inexpressible. I have always had a secret not-so-secret obsession for these sweet confections. Whether raised doughnuts with a sweet chocolate glaze, french crullers, cake doughnuts with a crumb topping, churros, or small bite-size doughnut holes tossed in powdered sugar or filled with fruit preserves (or both!), I cannot get enough of doughnuts. And neither can my friend, Lara Ferroni, who wrote an entire cookbook centered around-yes, you’ve got that right- doughnuts!

When my copy of Doughnuts came in the mail. I couldn’t help express my love for the entire book to Lara. My younger sister who can barely boil water was even surprised as to how amazing the book was- the photography, the writing . . . everything (check out the trailer!). I was given permission to share a couple of recipes with you today.

I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to share today. I made three recipes from Lara’s Book and took photos for each recipe. I made the apple cider doughnuts, the French crullers (I have an obsession with these things!), and of course- these lovely glazed doughnuts.

Yesterday, when I decided that posting not-so-nice photos of the first two recipes would not be a good idea at all. Especially when my family didn’t leave a crumb for me to photograph. Jerks. So . . . I decided to try another recipe from the book. Raised doughnuts. And boy, do they pack a lot of flavor and character.

When I rolled out the dough, I made more doughnut holes than regular sized doughnuts because well- I like tossing the freshly fried doughnut rounds in a little powdered sugar. I didn’t share any of those with my family, just in case you were wondering. My stomach thanked me.

The dough for this recipe can be made by hand, but expect a nice workout after you’re done making the dough. For a touch that brings you back to your childhood, glaze the doughnuts and immediately place some sprinkles on top. You’ll thank me.

**You can use granulated sugar, just follow the weight measurement or heap the two tablespoons.

Preparation: 1. In a medium bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of yeast into ¾ cup of milk. Add ¾ cup of flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover the flour mixture and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

2. Combine ¼ cup of room-temperature milk and 1 tablespoon of yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the rested flour mixture (from step 1) along with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add ½ cup of the remaining flour. Mix on low for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix until it becomes incorporated, about 30 seconds. Switch to a dough hook and add more flour, about ¼ cup at a time with the mixer turned off, kneading the dough at medium speed between additions, until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and not too sticky. It will be very soft and moist, but not so sticky that you can’t roll it out. You may have flour left over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 12 hours).

4. Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured non-terry dish towel. Roll out the dough on a slightly floured surface to ½ inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter (can use a glass, too) cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes (if you plan on filling the doughnuts with preserves, don’t cut out the holes).

5. Place the doughnuts on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, 5 to 20 minutes (kamran note: it took about 5 minutes for mine to proof), testing at five-minute intervals. To test whether the dough Is ready, touch lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly, it is ready. If it does not spring back at all, it has overproofed; no worries- you can punch it down and re-roll it once.

6. Once the doughnuts have proofed, using a metal spatula, carefully place the doughnuts in the oil. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side (for the doughnut holes, it might be less than 30 seconds a side, so keep an eye on them!), or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel, and let cool before glazing.

7. Prepare the glaze, recipes follow.

8. Glaze the doughnuts, cover them with sprinkles, cover the doughnuts in powdered sugar, or do a mix of each. Enjoy!

So gorgeous! Fresh, beautiful doughnuts is something I’ve missed. My favourite type would be the freshly fried mini ones, covered in cinnamon sugar which we always used to get at the Stampede. The smell is so heavenly, I have to steer clear of that area of the Stampede during that time of year.

there is actually a gluten-free doughnut recipe in Lara’s book, so you won’t have to miss them any longer. -ks

Gorgeous doughnuts, Kamran! I must admit that I do have a secret love for the holes. :) Mmm. Funny, I think a lot of us are all a-Twitter for doughnuts for some reason. I bought a doughnut pan a couple of weeks back and it still hasn’t been used. I’m just wondering, does the cookbook have baked batter-based doughnut recipes?

joy, the book has almost everything imaginable. I even think it has a margarita doughnut recipe! -ks

The pics are awesome .. yet again :) I wonder if there is a recipe for baked donuts in that book.

Here in Austria, people traditionally prefer Krapfen (http://home.comcast.net/~osoono/ethnicdoughs/krapfen/krapfen.htm), which only taste good when there is a lot of filling :) I was disappointed so many times that I gave up buying them all together. I remember the smaller ones my mom made though .. they were delicious indeed, but oh so unhealthy :) Once in a while shouldn’t be a problem though ;)

there are tons of recipes in the book, including one for baked doughnuts! -ks

I remember my mom used to make doughnuts at home. It was potato doughnuts.. so good.. The dough has mashed potato in it. It’s a bit heavier than the usual doughnuts, I guess.. but so so good.. I wish I had the recipe now. As for the topping, cinnamon sugar is my favorite. :)

I have never had a potato doughnut before. I have a Mario Batali recipe bookmarked for them, but I keep finding an excuse not to make them; now that I hear they are absolutely amazing- I will have to give the recipe a try! -ks

I’ve been meaning to bake doughnuts since forever. Haven’t really gotten around to it, in part because delicious doughnuts are just around the corner, and in part because I haven’t found a recipe I can trust. You’ve just changed that :)

Mine is either the colorful sprinkly one [appeals to the young girl in me] or the chocolate hazelnut filled chocolate glazed doughnut!! Sounds sinful, right?

When I was a kid I loved apple fritters, mainly because they were the biggest donuts in the case! Now I live in Japan and love the donuts from a donut store chain here named Mr. Donut. My favorite is called pon-de-ring, and is a ring shaped donut that looks like eight donut holes cooked together into a ring. The inside is soft and chewy, unlike any donut I’ve had before! Recently they have also had the “German Chocolate Coconut”, a chocolate cake donut coated in toasted coconut. This may be my new favorite! I would love to try making my own donuts, this recipe looks fun!

That pon-de-ring doughnut sounds absolutely sinful! As for the german chocolate cake doughnut… Lara has a recipe in her book for that too. – ks

Beautiful pictures! I love cake doughnuts the very best now that I’m older, but as a child I loved the plain glazed doughnuts. When I was a child back in the 1950’s my family lived way out in the country. We used to make a trip to town to get supplies of various kinds on Saturdays. My mom and I would always stop at this little house where they made and sold doughnuts. We would buy a dozen and Mom and I would sit in the car eating them all up. They were always warm and sticky yeast doughnuts. They were great.

My favorite doughnut has to be the baked double-chocolate glazed beauties I made yesterday morning! We’ve been sticking to baked doughnuts on account of the wee little one in our house, but after your gorgeous photos and rave recipe review, I see some raised doughnut holes in our very near future (my birthday = pass on fried foods).

Hi Monika, these doughnuts have egg yolks in them, but I believe that Lara has a vegan doughnut recipe in her book…-ks

Hey Kamran, now I want a donut instead of my virtuous breakfast of granola! I have made beignets, which are my favorite donuts, although I do have a fondness for raised glazed donuts with all that puffy yeasty goodness. Ever make a strawberry glaze? You use berries instead of milk. I hope you make the krullers again, I would love to see our pictures of them.

doughnuts hold wonderful memories in my life, too. every year, for nearly 20 of them, we got together with our friends and their families and had a pumpkin carve and doughnut fry. my specialty is maple bars, but i also make pumpkin doughnuts as well as the apple cider doughnuts. one memory that stands out: when i was a kid in arizona, we used to get our polio shots at the school. on immunization day, my mom knew it but wouldn’t tell us because i freaked out. she always had a surprise for us to make the day a little easier…at lunch time we had fried shrimp for dinner, but after school, she made mounds of delicious glazed doughnuts that she made with potatoes. yummy. i don’t make those and i think mine are better, but it was a delightful memory. i’m anxious to try these doughnuts and would LOVE to win Lara’s book! Thanks for the post!

I worked at a bakery in my hometown for 4 years. It was my first job and I loved it. The bakery has been open over 100 years so you know the doughnuts were amazing. My personal favorite are the plain glazed raised doughnuts from that bakery. They are seriously perfection and I have not tasted a doughnut since that compares. YUM!

Stumbled onto your blog from a comment of yours on another, and glad I did — you have gorgeous photos and recipes! Crullers are very big in Wisconsin, where I’m from, but my favorite doughnut is a hot, plain cake doughnut… maple-glazed doughnuts a close second.

Baking doughnuts is something I’ve always wanted to do, but never been brave enough to try. Your doughnuts look amazing! So I might have to indulge in making some soon. My favourite doughnuts are old school raspberry jam filled and rolled in icing sugar. Tasty tasty!

You mean there has to be a favorite? I can’t tell you my favorite part, but I can tell you my least favorite part – the empty plate they leave behind and the yearning I am left with for more! Can’t wait to try these!

Hi Kam! This is a great post; such beautiful photos. The perfect post to be the first one for me to look at after my big long break from food blogging. Thanks for the congrats about the marriage — we had a great time at the wedding and on our foodie honeymoon. :)

And, as for favorite doughnuts, mine would have to be the cider doughnuts that my local apple orchard sells. Mmm, mmm.

Just found your site via Joy the Baker, and I can already tell I’m going to be visiting it a lot. My favorite doughnut (I realize this is highly specific) is the maple-iced cake doughnut made at Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota. I like maple anyway, but those are the best I’ve had anywhere.

My favorite always has been apple fritters, though I am also a sucker for “long johns” – an eclair-like donut filled with vanilla pudding and topped with a chocolate glaze. I haven’t had either in longer than I can remember, and I’ve never made any kind of donuts at home – so I could really use this cookbook!

Is there a flavor I don’t like? I Love them ALL. Glazed, Chocolate Covered, Caramel glaze and Chocolate Covered with Bavarian Cream Filling to start. Blueberry ,Maple, I could go on and on. Thanks for the giveaway. Would love to have that cookbook!

My favorite donut of all time is the plain glazed donut from Donut Villa in Malden, MA – it is a small shop owned and run by a 60 year old Greek man and his family, and they are the most delicious-melt-in-your-mouth-oh-my-god donuts you have ever tried.

I have never made doughnuts before (or deep-fried anything), so this book would be a great step forward for me. My favourite doughnut is a French cruller, hands down. I can’t get enough of the airy interior.

Your pictures make me want doughnuts!!! I love how sophisticated you make them look….love love love!! Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait to make my husband these wonderful doughnuts. He’s a bit of a Homer Simpson, himself! (But, then again, aren’t we all!!!!)

I’d have to say, my favourite is either honey glazed or the French crueller. Though, I haven’t had too many flavours. Just recently, I made pandan flavoured doughnut holes and those were pretty good! I loved the color the most! Brown on the inside, but a vibrant green on the inside.

Between cake or yeast risen, I think I prefer the fluffiness of a yeast doughnut a little bit more.

oh these look sooo good! My fave is still the simple cinnamon sugar coated doughnut when they’re piping hot and the grease makes the paper bag see through.. always reminds me of when I was little and went to the royal show with my dad; we’d find a stall and share a bag of 6…. sigh….

[…] tour started at Cakespy.com. It then headed over to Wasabi Prime before making it’s way to The Sophisticated Gourmet. From there Lara’s book meandered on over to Cannelle et Vanille before finding a home at Use […]

This is my first time on your blog. And I’m drooling! Great food photography and an awesome giveaway! It has me thinking about chocolate cream doughnuts. Whenever I take a bite of one I’m instantly transported back to my childhood. :)

I made these doughnuts just a month ago. And everything was going well, the step that really ruined my almost perfect donuts was Step 3. I think that temperature for the oil was too high. When I placed my doughnut in the oil they would turn black in 2 seconds, and completely raw in the middle. I tried many doughnuts and they still turned out the same, so guys lower the temp of the oil.

[…] I had a Homer Simpson moment when I found this post. Ummmmmm, donuts. Gosh these look good. I’m trying my best to eat a little more low carb but it was fun to read anyway: Homemade Glazed Doughnuts […]

[…] thought of making donuts. They always seemed a little out of my league, but after skipping through The Sophisticated Gourmet’s blog I was inspired. I’ve since found two really fabulous recipes; one from Donna Hay, and […]